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Educating our Youth… The need for youth education about food production and healthy eating habits has become increasingly evident, with a rise in concern about food safety and the marked increase in childhood obesity. We attribute this mainly to the growing disconnect between youth and their food. Therefore, the heart of our education programs is exposing youth to the process of growing food. In most cases, this means INVOLVING them in all phases of the growing process, which includes planting seeds, weeding, watering, and harvesting (and many times cooking) and always eating! In this way, they are participating… In this way, they learn what food is. Food is not something that magically appears in the grocery store. It is the product of a process…hard work, keen observation, patience, and skill. It is through this process that we instill gratitude for food…and farmers. In some cases, we take the youth out to a farm. For the past several years, we have coordinated FARM CAMP, in which we take urban youth out to work on a farm for 3 days. In other cases, we bring the farm to them! Depending on the program, the specific goals may vary but our objectives are always the same: provide a hands-on experience through our multi-sensory approach. With this in mind, we always encourage them to touch and smell and taste everything on the farm or garden. But do they really eat vegetables? Absolutely! We never have leftovers and we often say that our greatest challenge is getting the produce inside to get washed before they eat it! Really? Yes! Not only does the process familiarize young people with what food is, but equally important, it instills in them A SENSE OF PRIDE (They look at a pepper, a carrot, or swiss chard and think, “I grew that!” It also instills a sense of place. And a sense of their place in the (natural) world. And a sense of themselves. NOFA-NJ Pilot Programs in Lawrence Township While it is NOFA-NJ’s goal, as a statewide organization, to promote healthy food systems throughout NJ, we believe that our pilot youth food education programs in Lawrence Township, with its diverse population of 30,000 people living between Trenton and Princeton, have great potential to serve as a model for New Jersey schools and communities. Already, we have begun to replicate these programs throughout NJ… Lawrenceville Elementary School Garden Over the past 3 years, with the assistance of LES teachers, parents, community members and local companies, NOFA-NJ’s Mikey Azzara has established an educational vegetable, fruit, flower, and herb garden on the grounds of the school. The goal of the program is to utilize the garden to teach about the value of fresh food and nutrition and develop an appreciation for nature while making connections to the pre-existing grade-level curriculum. With funding from the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, Mr. Azzara has led four in-service trainings to help teachers realize the potential benefits of their school garden and to further integrate it into daily lessons, and he continues to teach twice-weekly garden classes and to serve fresh food from the garden in the cafeteria on Fridays. “Garden to Table” at the Lawrence Neighborhood Service Center (LNSC) Funded by the Princeton Area Community Foundation, as well as the Lawrence Township Community Foundation, NOFA-NJ has implemented Garden to Table at the LNSC as a summer camp and after school program that includes a “grow your own” community vegetable garden and complementary youth education program on its premises. The project, which involves youth in all phases of the garden, is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and behaviors about fresh food, provide hands-on experience growing food in a garden, and introduce children to cooking skills necessary to prepare fresh, healthy food at home. Lawrence High School FOOD CLUB & Home Economics NOFA-NJ works with LHS to provide an after school food education program for interested LHS students, faculty, and staff. We believe that connecting youth to local agriculture, informing students about food production, and introducing youth to cooking fresh food will translate into healthier eating habits. This program is implemented through weekly, after school meetings that include hands-on tours of both local farms and food businesses, hands-on cooking demonstrations with Mike Azzara (and local chefs), and discussion of suggested readings, recipes, and films. Students have been growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs in the school courtyard and Mr. Azzara is helping Home Economics teachers, through a recent grant from the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, to integrate seasonal farm tours and cooking demonstrations.